Chelation for Antiaging: The Pharmacist's Role

JANUARY 01, 2005

Ross Pelton, RPh, PhD, CCN

Removing toxic metals from the
body is one of the most important
antiaging therapies available.
The results from many scientific
studies indicate that an increased accumulation
(body burden) of toxic metalssuch as mercury, lead, cadmium,
and arsenicincreases the risk for
common diseases, including cancer,
cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's
disease, and attention-deficit/
hyperactivity disorder.

Recently, nonprescription products
for removing toxic metals from the
body have entered the marketplace.
They present an important new opportunity
for pharmacists who counsel
their customers about important
health matters.

Removing toxic metals from the
body is known as chelation therapy.
The term chelation comes from the
Greek word chele, which means "claw."
Chelating agents are substances that
can "claw"or bind to toxic metals so
that they can be excreted through the
feces and/or urine. Engaging in chelation
therapy to remove toxic metals is
a critically important step in slowing
down one's aging process and extending
the length and quality of one's life.
The purpose of this article is to report
on and review some of the newly available
OTC chelation products.

EDTA Chelation

Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid
(EDTA) is a synthetic amino acid that is
recognized by the FDA as an approved
substance to treat lead poisoning.
Intravenous (IV) EDTA chelation therapy
is very effective. For example, an 18-
year follow-up of patients who had
undergone a series of EDTA chelation
treatments revealed a 90% reduction in
cancer deaths. One of 59 treated
patients died of cancer (1.7%), whereas
30 of 172 (17.6%) nontreated matched
control patients died of cancer.1

IV EDTA chelation therapy has been
available for years, but a series of 20 or
30 IV EDTA sessions is an expensive
($100-$125/treatment) and time-consuming
(3-4 hours/treatment) process
that can be administered only by physicians.
Fortunately, a number of effective
OTC toxic-metal detoxification products
have become available recently.

Detoxamin

EDTA is not well absorbed orally. An
OTC product named Detoxamin,
which is a time-released EDTA rectal
suppository, recently entered the marketplace,
however. Rectal absorption is
very efficient. When inserted rectally
at bedtime, each Detoxamin suppository
gradually delivers 750 mg of calcium
EDTA into systemic circulation
throughout the night.

Two Detoxamin human clinical trials
have been completed. Although
their results have not been published,
both have reported a high level of success
at removing lead. One trial was a
pilot study conducted in 2003 at the
Living Longer Institute in Cincinnati,
Ohio. The other was a trial conducted
on the removal of lead in Puerto Rican
children with known elevated lead levels.
Urine and fecal analysis from one
of these human trials also reported the
excretion of significant levels of mercury,
aluminum, and arsenic.

DMSA

DMSA is chemically known as meso-
2,3-dimercaptosuccinic acid. It is available
commercially in a product named
Captomer, from Thorne Research.
DMSA is another nonprescription chelator
of toxic metals. It is an orally
administered, water-soluble agent with
a wide therapeutic range and low toxicity,
which make it one of the most
effective chelating compounds available.2 Because DMSA-chelated toxic
metals are excreted in the feces, it is
important that patients using DMSA
have regular bowel movements.
Hence, individuals who are constipated
should not use DMSA until normal
bowel elimination is restored.

Numerous studies have been published
that document Captomer's success
at removing toxic metals. It is
available in 100-and 250-mg capsules.
There are several different protocols for
using Captomer. Other companies also
offer oral DMSA capsules.

Glutathione

Glutathione performs 2 critical functions.
It is one of the body's most effective
agents for binding with and detoxifying
toxic metals, and it also
functions as a powerful antioxidant to
reduce free radical damage. Hence,
substances that increase glutathione
levels will help protect the body
against toxic metals. Nutrients such as
selenium,3 lipoic acid,4 cysteine,5 and/
or N-acetylcysteine6 and the herb milk
thistle7 are each known for their ability
to increase glutathione levels in the
body and to enhance the removal of
toxic metals.

Other Oral Chelation Formulations

Other formulations are now being
offered by many companies. These formulations
usually contain EDTA along
with supportive agents such as chlorella,
garlic, malic acid, and other nutrients. One product, Essential Daily
Defense, was formulated by Garry Gordon,
MD, DO, who is the father of the
modern chelation movement. Vitamin
Research Products offers Oral ChelatoRx;
Life Enhancement offers EDTA
Chelator Complex; and the Life Extension
Foundation offers Pure-Gar w/
EDTA.

Opportunities for Pharmacists

Serious toxic-metal problems must
be managed by an experienced physician.
It is becoming increasingly recognized,
however, that virtually everyone
has a chronic accumulation of
toxic metals in the body, which contributes
to health problems and accelerates
the aging process. Pharmacists
who take the time to become knowledgeable
about the correct use of OTC
detoxification products can provide a
much-needed service. At the same
time, guiding customers on detoxification
protocols also can become a new
source of income for pharmacists who
charge for their consultation time.